Ill met by Moonlight
by Rhaegal Nymeria Stark
Summary: Hermione laughed joyously. Bellatrix really had no idea how beautiful she looked in the moonlight, did she? Completely Bellamione Sequel to "Scarred Lover" and "Surreal."


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Summary: Hermione laughed joyously. Bellatrix really had no idea how beautiful she looked in the moonlight, did she? Sequel to "Scarred Lover" and "Surreal."

Note: Based on the whole "Tui and La" thing with ATLA, the moon and ocean dynamic talked about in "Book of Water."

**Ill met by moonlight:**

Hermione observed the luminescent glow of the ghostly moon. She always loved the moon, ever since she was a small child and she first started reading about it. The power of the moon was enticing and entrancing and mysterious. The large pale orb illuminated the sky, displaying all of the sun's inferior and sometimes superior brothers, sisters and cousins to even the most untrained human eye.

Hermione leaned back, shoulders propped against the bark of the willow tree as she stared through the sagging strings of leaves of the said tree. The pallid orb glistened behind the willow's leafy vines. When Hermione had found out what the moon could do to the Earth's oceans, well, her young five-year old mind, which had been advanced, astute and intellectual even back then, had been thrown for a loop.

To think, an object that is 238,900 miles from Earth could control the oceans of the planet and make the oceans receed further away from shore and then rush back into tidal waves over the shore? It was unimaginable. It was hard to comprehend that something so far away could affect something on Earth in such a drastic way, especially for a child of that age.

The moon acted almost like a changing and reversible magnet, attracting and repelling the seas of planet Earth simulteneously. Even more mind boggling when one took this fun little fact into account: there was only one moon the earth had and four oceans. The moon controlled them all.

It was something that at the time had astounded the young Hermione and had filled the girl with wonder, and sometimes like tonight, still did. The moon was almost an entity, a deity in its own right, and the planet's seas were its subjects to command.

There was the sound of footsteps approaching, stepping and crunching on grass and twigs, and Hermione turned her attention to the noise. Even in the dark, the brunette made out the figure of her beloved.

"Bella." Hermione said quietly, smiling at her lover's approach. She tilted her head, giving a sly smile at her lover. She knew the former Death Eater could see her face in the bright silver moonlight. Hermione's smirk widened at the curiosity in how Bellatrix was gazing at her. Bella was truly a beautiful woman. Day or night, young or old, the raven haired woman was radient, but there was a particular unique quality to the older woman's prepossessing appearance when her face and skin glistened under the moon's luster.

The quote, _"Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania"_ seemed almost appropriate to Hermione at the moment, except that she was nothing like Oberon, aside from being jealous of Bellatrix's various past lovers. She smirked at the thought.

Bellatrix lifted an eyebrow. "Why are you looking so smug, my dear?" she quipped, tone hinting at impatience. Hermione tried not to laugh. Her fiance was so easily irritated. She smirked more, eyes lowering to the silver ring around Bellatrix's left ring finger in the shape of a snake with bat wings and two small emeralds encrusted in the eyes; a gift Hermione had gotten her on the former Death Eater's fifty-first birthday, finally mounting enough courage to ask her lover to marry her.

Bella had been in shock for what seemed like an hour, till she finally snapped out of it and had accepted, still befuddled as to why Hermione would want to be bound to her forever.

Hermione reached over to her left hand and fingered her own wedding band that Bellatrix had brought to her a few days later; a gold ring with a small black lion imprint wrapped around the band with gold phoenix feathers sticking out of the round edges. "So smug?" Hermione asked, answering her lover's question with a question, "I'm not smug. I'm elated. And I've got good reason for it. It's a beautiful night after all. And really, you do look so lovely in the moon's light, Bella."

Bella narrowed her eyes and shook her head in a manner that Hermione was quite used to. Hermione tried not to giggle, recognizing Bella's silent way of "announcing" that her fiancé was as mad as she was.

"Hermione, you are truly the strangest woman I've ever met." The raven haired woman stated in a matter-of-fact voice.

This time, Hermione let her giggling to run free, "Well thank goodness for that. Because otherwise, I probably wouldn't have ever been able to win your heart."

"Always a romantic," Bellatrix sneered, though there was a hint of a smile on her face, "I hope there's more that you want to do than just sit and stare, otherwise I'll be resigning myself to marrying a lazy sloth. Something, I could swear by Salazar Slytherin that you were not such. Perhaps I was wrong."

"Hey," Hermione remarked, grinning at the obvious playful goad, "This lazy sloth was only complimenting you on just how gorgeous you are. Seriously Bella, I don't think you have this, 'compliments and manners' routine down quite yet."

Hermione lifted herself off the ground against the tree trunk and slowly sauntered out from under the weeping willow vines. She pushed back the leafy tendrils and added in, haughtily, "And you are. You know, beautiful with the moon shining over you like this. Has no one ever told you that?"

Bellatrix waved her hand dismissively, "Plenty of men have complimented my beauty. It never meant anything before. Just foolish attempts to know what it was like under my skirt."

Hermione tried not to flinch, tried not to seethe with jealousy. Nowadays, she knew that Bellatrix only said things like that so blatantly because it was the truth. A few years back, the former Death Eater would have just said them to the muggle-born out of spite to spur the younger woman's jealousy deliberately, but now, Hermione knew that the dark haired woman only stated it as bluntly as she did because she just didn't care. For Bellatrix, all of her past affairs were merely a game to her and saw the men who had chased after her, thought they could conquer the ruthless, steely witch as nothing more than little naïve boys that couldn't keep up with her. Bella meant it as a mockery only to those "men," if they could even be called that.

Okay, Hermione had to digress; she was exactly like King Oberon. And Bellatrix, her decadent, proud, willful, merciless, unyielding Queen Titania.

"Good to know I'm special," Hermione chortled, "I guess though, I can't help but observe your radiance. The moon controls the sea after all." Bellatrix gave her a perturbed and puzzled stare. Hermione laughed again, "The moon controls the seas. All the seas on Earth get pushed and pulled by the moon and that's why there are tidal waves." The muggle-born finished, gesturing to Bellatrix, "If you are the moon, then I am obviously the ocean; unable to do anything but beckon to the moon's beauty and majesty."

Hermione felt an elated desire to giggle again when she saw Bellatrix's face after she said that. The dark haired woman was taken aback. Hermione would have thought by now that the oldest Black sister would be used to such words of praise and endearment from her, but it seemed the former Death Eater could still be shocked into silence at the sheer adoration Hermione bore for her. It was something that never prevented a smile from spreading on Hermione's face.

"You…are truly ridiculous, darling." Bellatrix mumbled, voice not quite as confident as it had been before, the former Death Eater avoiding her lover's eyes.

Hermione lost her smile. "Hey," She whispered, reaching out and taking Bellatrix's pale hand in hers, coaxing the unstable woman to look at her again. Hermione removed her hand from Bellatrix's and leaned forwards, pressing her forehead to the shorter woman's, the palms of her hands cupping Bellatrix's face, "Hey. You're beautiful Bella. Completely. You're strong, intelligent, free-spirited and amazing. I am the luckiest woman alive for you to accept my love and return it. Never think otherwise."

Dark eyes stared up helplessly at Hermione. A small smile returned to Hermione's countenance. She leaned in again, placing a feather light kiss to her lover's black rouge painted lips. Stroking the pads of her fingers against Bella's pale cheeks, Hermione parted from the older woman, still smiling lovingly.

Hermione knew Bellatrix would never admit it, but she could distinctly see moisture begin to pool in her lover's eyes, still she asked gently, "You okay?"

Bellatrix shook herself out of Hermione's hands, rubbing the back of her right hand against her eyes, wiping the tears away. "Of course, I'm alright, you fool." Bellatrix sniffled out, voice shaky and unconvincing for once, "I'm quite alright. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't I?" Hermione jested, "Now, really, don't be upset. We're going to be married soon. None of this feeling sorry for yourself stuff now, okay? Lighten up, Bella." Bella got rid of the last of the water that she failed in holding back and Hermione nodded towards the pond where that had first attracted her to this location before finding the willow tree and the great view of the moon. Bella followed Hermione as the muggle-born led the older woman to the small body of water.

The brunette stopped at the edge of the lake, glancing at her fiancé. "This is a nice lake, right? It doesn't have any krakens or merpeople in it like the ones at Hogwarts do thankfully, so if we want to swim in it, we can without having to worry about any unwelcoming creatures."

"And when would I ever swim?" Bellatrix remarked calmly, any indication of her previous vulnerable state unseen completely. Hermione wasn't fooled though. She shrugged and got closer to the lake, kneeling down and dipping her arms into the water, putting enough force into her limbs to bring her arms back up and chuck small waves at the former Death Eater.

Bellatrix was startled and tried to move but wasn't quick enough. The water hit her square in the face and chest. Bellatrix sputtered, appearing enraged and growled, deep sapphire eyes blazing with rage until she saw Hermione grinning up at her again.

"I said, 'lighten up, Bella.'" The muggle-born said fearlessly, apparently uncaring of the threatening look her lover was currently giving her, "I'm just playing with you. Not everything has to be doom and gloom, you know?"

"Thank you for your little philosophy, dearest," Bellatrix growled, scowling, "But you shouldn't have done that."

Hermione gave a smartass grin, "Then you'd better make me pay for it." She splashed at Bellatrix again, this time the raven haired beauty dodged out of the way in time and made a lunge for the younger woman who was jumping away, appearing giddy and amused again. Hermione ran her left arm along the water as she moved, the sensation of the liquid running along her scars bringing a somewhat morbid sense to the muggle-born.

It was strangely sick, she'd admit, but oddly, she was happy that Bellatrix had carved the word into her arm; the pureblood had offered to heal it multiple times, but Hermione had refused each time. Ron, Harry, Neville and everyone else, even Bellatrix could call it as disturbing as they wanted, but in Hermione's mind she was actually glad that that scar was there. It almost felt like Bellatrix had "marked" Hermione. And the funny thing? Hermione was now perfectly happy with that. She didn't care what other people thought. All that mattered to her was what she and Bellatrix thought. This was their lives. This field near their house, this tree, this lake; this moon kissed kingdom belonged to the two of them. This and Bellatrix was her world. As Hermione led Bellatrix into a small dance in the water under the moon, the fears of the outside world and the prejudices of Bellatrix's people faded from Hermione's mind and the only thing that mattered now was the two of them; the moon and the sea.

**Yep, this time around I got corny, I know I did, folks. But despite that, I hope you were at least entertained and found it cute (regardless of the obvious giant oocness of this story) and corniness or not, no flames please.**


End file.
